Hyderabad: Protesting against the ‘unprecedented situation’ prevailing on the Hyderabad Central University campus, nearly 50 SC/ST faculty forum members on Tuesday went on a one-day mass casual leave even as varsity authorities said the classes were functioning normally.

About 50 faculty members of the HCU went on a mass casual leave in protest against the ‘unprecedented situation’ prevailing on the campus arising out of a series of ‘human rights violations’, following the protests by students on March 22 (the day vice chancellor Appa Rao Podile resumed his duty), said a release from convener, SC/ST Faculty Forum and Concerned Teachers.

On the one-day mass leave call given by some faculty members, the registrar said, “We have not officially received any letter from them.”

‘The police resorted to an unwarranted and disproportionate show of force on the protesting students and neutral bystanders. Many students and two faculty members have been arrested and there is the threat of more arrests. An unwarranted beating up of the protesters continued even after their arrests,’ the release said.

‘Against all this and against continued denial of justice to Rohith Vemula and other suspended students, we, the SC/ST Faculty Forum and concerned faculty members of the University of Hyderabad, are going on a mass casual leave today,’ it said.

The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice of HCU appealed to the students to use blue ribbons as a means of protest, declaration and reminder of the fact that ‘our fight is still on’ while going about classes, labs and other activities.

“We appeal to the students, faculty of University of Hyderabad, to resume their academic activities and classes alongside the protests,” the JAC said.

It also demanded the HCU administration to drop all charges and withdraw all cases filed against the students and faculty members.

They further demanded immediate removal and arrest of Appa Rao under Prevention of Atrocities Act and demilitarisation of the campus and introduction of Rohith Act.

A local court had on Monday granted bail to 25 students and two faculty members of HCU arrested in connection with violence on the campus on March 22.

New Delhi, Dec 16, 2016: Sebi’s regulatory norms of appointing at least one woman director on the respective billboards till December 13, has not been followed by as many as 15 public sector firms including ONGC and Indian Oil Corporation. Reports of it went to the Parliament on Friday.

As per the new Sebi directives and the Company’s Act, 2013 all the listed firms were required to have at least one woman director on their boards from April 1, 2015. These rules are aimed at ensuring gender diversity in boardrooms.

As on December 13, 2016, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, GAIL, Power Finance Corporation, Rural Electrification Corporation, Chennai Petroleum Corporation, Scooters India, MMTC and Fertilisers & Chemicals Travancore have not appointed women directors on their board, Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley said in a written reply to Lok Sabha, mentioned PTI.

According to the Minister 169 and 1,106 companies listed on the NSE and BSE respectively had not appointed women directors as on September 30, this year. To avert this discrimination by acting against listed firms without a mandatory woman director, Sebi in April 2015 had announced a minimum Rs 50,000 fine. Further action against non-compliance of the directives include action against promoters and directors, if they remain non-compliant beyond six months.

A four stage penalty structure is announced by the market watchdog wherein fines would increase with the passage of time. It had asked the stock exchanges to levy the fines as the violation relates the Listing Agreement.